Monster
by Koshou-chan
Summary: [Post HBP]The Order is slowly but surely collapsing around them. Arthur Weasely, acting leader, knows it's time to turn to his last resort. How do you fight a monster of a human? Find a bigger monster. Slash
1. Chapter 1

**Monster**

**Summary: HPYYH Crossover. Post HBP. After the tragedy of the previous year, the Order has fallen apart with little hope of repair. Arthur Weasely knows it's finally time for him to bring out his last resort…Full Summary Inside…Slash**

**FULL SUMMARY: After the tragedy of Dumbledore's death, the Order of the Phoenix appears to be on it's last leg. Arthur Weasely realizes it's finally time to carry out his brother's last wish. He had read the letter enough times to know his older sibling was right. How do you fight a monster of a human? You find a bigger monster.**

**Pairings: Hiei/Kurama, Ron/Hermione, Botan/Koenma, (HINTS OF…) Yusuke/Keiko, Kuwabara/Yukina**

**Chapter One**

It was strange to go back to the house again at the beginning of the summer Dumbledoreless. Not just for Harry, though the boy was showing how hard he had been hit more than anyone else. He had kept it bottled up until the car ride to the headquarters. But the angry tears had stopped just as soon as they had started. It was the depression that Harry had been stricken with that lingered oh so persistently over the boy's already troubled head.

The Order meetings- now run by Arthur, given his family history- were spent discussing Harry's health. Not physically, but mentally. The boy's depression wasn't the only behavior he had been showing off since the beginning of the summer. He had put on displays of anger, surprising and sometimes extreme happiness (followed closely by a three day vanishing act to his room), and, much to everyone's surprise, very flirtatious behavior to not only Ginny, but Hermione as well. Both girls had taken to avoiding the overly affectionate boy in favor of hiding in their room until they were sure he was at least three rooms away and could not pick out their voices from any others.

Harry, however, was slowly becoming the least of their worries. Dumbledore was gone, which meant Voldemort had finally achieved his life long goal: becoming the most powerful wizard alive. And of course, with his life long dream achieved, there was only one thing left to do. Kill Muggles. Voldemort was enjoying himself a lot these days. Muggles were murdered by the dozens on the streets, in their homes, and anywhere else if the Dark Lord was in a creative mood. The Ministry of Magic was at a loss. They had even gone as far as naming Voldemort a 'mutant' on the Muggle news and gave the right to kill him on sight. So far, thirteen bullets had been fired at the wizard. None of them had found their mark.

And so Arthur Weasely, the technical leader of the last remaining Voldemort resistance group, was out of options. He had finally turned to the one thing he feared more than the Dark Lord himself.

He had chosen, of all the times, breakfast, to break the news to his wife and children. Why Arnie Weasly had chosen Japan to make his home was beyond him, but it made it easier in a way. It gave him more time to prepare. After all, he had once promised himself he would never let it get that far. Of course, he had failed himself in that sense…

Molly was eyeing him from across the table. She and Bill, whose face had healed surprisingly well considering what had happened to him the year before, were positioned at one end of the table, while he had seated himself at the other. His wife's eyes bore into him in a way that screamed she knew what was about to come out of his mouth.

_If only she knew…_

Arthur cleared his throat and sat up straighter. None of the house's occupants (a disgruntled Harry, who was glaring at Ron, who was talking softly with Hermione, who was seated next to Ginny, who was laughing at Mad Eye Moody's behavior towards his mashed potatoes, who was across from Lupin, who was simply staring at his half full plate with something akin to hate, and so on…) acknowledged him. Molly cleared her throat with more feeling, immediately silencing the chatter around her. She nodded to her husband, "Talk."

Arthur suddenly regretted his decision with all these expectant eyes on him. He knew what they thought of him and his job as the leader. He was terrible at it, not even his family could deny that. And now, to tell them this with out even explaining…

"I've been doing a lot of thought lately…about our situation…"

There was a lot of shuffling from Lupin and Moody's direction. Arthur winced, knowing exactly what was running through their minds. _Here comes another screw up…_

"I've come to a decision," he paused, glancing apologetically at Molly. _Please forgive me…_

"I remembered, last night, something my brother asked me to do if, God forbid, we ran out of options…" He closed his eyes, for the first time in many years unable to look at his wife, "I've made a decision…" He looked at Harry, finding hard green eyes staring back at him, "I know that Harry…that Harry is the one who was supposed to bring His downfall…but so far this has yet to happen…" Harry's glare hardened considerably, Arthur winced, "My brother and I knew that if Voldemort's hold got too strong…that either he…or in the event of his death, me, would have to take certain measures to defeat him. Now I must go through with it…"

The man's hands found the table. He felt nauseous. The danger he was putting these people in. This action he planned to take could end in not only his death, but in the death's of everyone present and more.

…Did he really have the right to put them in such danger?

His conscious had no answer.

"Arthur," Molly's soft and ever comforting voice broke through the storm of uncertainty going on inside of him. He looked up at his wife, trying to convey how helpless he felt to her and her alone. She looked back at him sympathetically, but the expectant look in her eyes didn't fade, "Arthur, tell us what's going on…what did Arnie want you to do?"

Hearing his brother's name spoken out loud threw it so sharply into perspective the Arthur had to bring a shaking hand to his eyes.

"I can't say…not yet…"

Moody's growl came from directly beside him and he wasn't surprised to feel a light pressure on his shoulder, "And why not?"

The odd mix of worry and anger threw Arthur off even more, "I have to see…"

"See what?" Lupin's tone didn't mask how anxious he was. The redhead looked again at his wife. Her eyes were screaming at him…_tell me_…

The whisper escaped him before he could stop it, "I need to see him first."

The silence that followed nearly made the poor man at the room's head snap. He looked around at the confused and worried faces, begging them not to…

"Who, Arthur?"

..ask. He didn't even know who had said it, but the damage was done. He knew there was no way they would let him leave with out explaining now. Moody's hand pushed him gently back into his chair. He looked at his lap, at a loss of what to do.

"I don't know were to start…"

"Who is he?" It was, surprisingly, Harry who voiced the question that was undoubtedly on everyone's minds. Arthur looked up at him and saw the bitterness in the young yet battle worn face.

"My nephew."

Another silence followed this statement. Several people who had know the brilliant Arnie Weasely looked shocked and horrified that this mystery child had existed all this time and no one had known about it. Molly's stiff voice broke through the confusion.

"Why didn't he tell us…why didn't you?"

Arthur looked up at her slowly, "Because…because…some part of me was in denial…what that child was…it was so…so _wrong_…"

"What does that mean?" Molly's tone turned demanding. She was hurt, he knew that. He had failed to reveal possibly the biggest secret he had ever held to her. It was only natural.

"He…" Arthur had resigned to tell the truth by now. He looked at Harry, begging for forgiveness. He knew the boy felt his role as savior had been stolen. This would hopefully put his rage at ease.

"He's not human."

**I'll give you three guesses as to who it is. But there are two YYH characters you may have a hard time deciding between. I'll give you a hint: the difference maker and the thing that made my decision is obvious. Think about it. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Somebody YAY FOR THE BRILLIANT GUESSER!**

**Anyway…is it true that a writer can no longer respond to reviewers in stories…?**

**That's an odd decision on FFN's part. That's all I'm saying.**

**Chapter 2**

The first thing Arthur noticed about the house, or, more specifically, the property was how very…colorful it was. The flower gardens that flanked the front steps were literally overflowing with growth. Flowers of all colors and all sizes poured onto the nicely paved walkway, bombarding his nose with a very interesting variety of scents. He regarded the plants briefly as he passed.

_Reminds me of the Hogwarts Greenhouses… _

But, of course, he was not here to admire his late brother's wife exceptionally green thumb.

It was her son that concerned him.

He recalled vividly those inhuman green eyes that had stared up at him with remarkable intensity merely ten minutes after child birth. Those eyes had been what had scared him the most, what had made him voice to his brother the feeling he got from this very small, yet very powerful baby.

He just knew that child was _evil_.

But, as his brother suffered from what he called 'blind-kindness', Arnie had over looked his son's…abnormality and looked straight ahead to the future. A future with a brilliant, smart, and most importantly _good_ son. But Arthur refused to stand behind his brother. Not with that thing he called his son, oh no. He was blind. Arnie, one of the best Aurors the wizarding world had ever seen, refused to see the truth. He had overlooked the evil that was right in front of him.

And Arthur could not stand it.

And now, as he stood in front of that demonic child's house, he felt all the anger he harbored for the boy rising in his chest.

_It was all his fault…_

His fist pounded on the door before he even realized what he was doing. He jumped at his own violence and nearly panicked when the footsteps on the other side of the thick wood began to grow louder.

The door opened and Arthur found himself staring down a middle aged man with the darkest brown hair he had ever seen. He raised an eyebrow.

_Definitely not him…_

His disappointment must have shown on his face because the man's own eyebrow lifted and he spoke in a questioning tone.

"Can I help you, sir?"

He could feel his forehead begin to sweat. Trying to hide his worry, Arthur managed to find his voice.

"Ah…yes. Does a…" he had to grope through out his memory to find his sister-in-law's name, "Shiori Minamino live here?"

The man's eyebrow rose even more as he responded.

"It's Shiori Hatakana now, sir; may I ask who you are?"

Arthur couldn't hide a flinch, "I'm her late husband's brother, sir. You must be Mr. Hatakana." He unconsciously fiddled with his pocketed wand. That last sentence had been strained. The translation spell was wearing off. He managed to turn the wand towards his leg and muttered the spell for the second time that day, feeling slightly relieved he hadn't been exposed by the short term affect. He flashed the man a nervous smile.

To his relief, the man smiled back, "Yes, I am. Let me go get her."

He turned into the house and called his wife's name. He heard her familiar voice respond and couldn't help but smile.

_Such a sweet woman…_

"Arthur!" The woman looked shocked when she saw her visitor. She pushed passed her husband and stepped out onto the front walk, surprisingly happy, "It's been such a long time, how are you?"

Arthur found himself smiling down at her, remembering how happy she made his only brother, "I'm as well as can be expected. I'm sorry, Shiori, but I'm afraid this isn't a social visit. May I speak to your son?"

A look of worry crossed her face. She turned to look at her peeved husband, who obviously did not approve of being ignored in favor of his wife's old brother-in-law.

"Can you find-…" she cut herself off, looking over Hatakana's shoulder. A mass of red pushed passed the man blocking the doorway and into the sunlight.

"I'm here, Mother," the teen stepped out onto the steps, making Arthur's mouth drop open and hit the pavement beneath his feet.

This boy looked _exactly_ like his father.

The thick red hair, though Arnie's hadn't been quite as long, was the first thing he noticed. That, coupled with the slightly feminine face made Arthur feel like he was looking at his brother's ghost. The slight smile that appeared on the teen's face, however, dragged Arthur out of his shock. _Of course_ he looked like Arnie; he had seen that the moment the child was born. Why he hadn't prepared himself for something like this was beyond him.

"Can I help you?"

Arthur twitched. How could a kid with energy as dark…as evil as what was coming off of his nephew be so…

_Innocent?_

"Ah…yes. Yes. I'm Arthur Weasly. Your father was my brother."

The kid gave a slight nod, regarding him with only mild interest. Suddenly feeling insulted, Arthur stood up straighter, not about to be out done by a teenage boy.

"I need to speak with you about your father…" Arthur shot a quick look at Shiori, "Alone."

Those unnerving green eyes hardened suddenly. Arthur almost felt triumphant. True evil cannot hide its true nature.

"Mother," the boy turned his head slightly in her direction, "Can you excuse us for a moment, please?"

Shiori gazed uncertainly at the back of her son's head, "Yes, Shuuichi, but…?"

"It's alright," Shuuichi's eyes burned into Arthur's, "We'll be done in a moment."

Shiori gave in surprisingly quickly. Taking her husband's arm, she tugged him gently into the house, shutting the door behind her. After waiting a couple seconds as the footsteps inside retreated, Shuuichi spoke in a low tone, "So, Mr. Weasly, come to admit what I already know?"

Arthur was caught off guard by this. He sputtered at the teen, receiving a raised eyebrow in return.

"Am I wrong?"

Again Arthur had no response for that. How much did this kid know about him…his family! _He could be in league with Voldemort, for Merlin's sake!_

Anger began to rise with in him once again.

"How much," he demanded of the boy, "do you know?"

The redhead shrugged, "Enough to know you lied to my mother, that's all. He didn't die of a heart attack, I'll say that much."

Arthur's hand twitched to his pocket. He watched as the green eyes lowered themselves to his pants, eyeing the pocket with disdain.

"Is that really necessary?"

Again, Arthur had no response for the boy's unnatural knowledge. He gazed at Shuuichi, still indecisive. Part of him wanted to believe he was evil, part of him wanted to turn his wand on his nephew and be done with it. But something was nagging at him…

Something was telling him it was wrong.

Arthur took his hand away from his pocket and lifted his hands as if to say 'truce'. Shuuichi nodded, almost in thanks.

"Now, Arthur, why don't you tell me what the point of this visit is."

The boy's voice sounded almost …comforting. It was almost like he already knew every word of the planned and rehearsed conversation that Arthur had planned and felt bad about it. Arthur glared at the boy. If there was one thing he hated, it was being treated like he was lower than everyone else. He got enough of that at work and before that at school. He didn't need it from an evil little boy who had no idea what life was like for him. Something inside Arthur snapped, and that something had been holding back every word he had wanted to say to his nephew since his brother had died. The dam was broken. Nothing could stop him now.

"You're a demon."

The first sentence was a simple statement of fact. Shuuichi didn't look surprised that he knew, so Arthur continued, unwilling to lose his nerve before he could say everything on his mind.

"You're a dangerous, evil demon with a human body. I don't understand how something that unnatural can occur, but I don't care. All I know is that, despite your abnormalities, you are my brother's only child and he asked me to do this. All I can do is respect his wishes. But I'm warning you right now, do anything to convince me that what my brother said was false judgment, I will kill you."

His chest was heaving at the end of it. He glared up at the boy, daring him to continue feeling sorry for him. He was not lower than everybody else. Finally he felt he had shown that to someone.

Shuuichi stared at him for a long thirty seconds after he was finished, making Arthur believe that he was dumbfounded by his rant. Unfortunately for his ego, he was mistaken. Shuuichi spoke in a surprisingly civil tone.

"I'm not sure, Arthur, but I'm thinking that was a plea for help."

Arthur's eyebrow twitched.

"It wasn't a plea."

The corners of Shuuichi's mouth turned up.

"But it was a request for help."

For some reason Arthur just could not bring himself to hate this boy.

"Yes."

…**Not my best work, I'll say that right now. In fact, it was pretty crappy. Of course everything I do is crappy, but this was extra crappy. Please don't be too mean. For some reason the words for this chapter just didn't come easy.**

**I have several things to discuss about this chapter.**

**-In this story, Arnie had created a Japanese alias with the surname Minamino. That is why Arthur referred to Shiori with that name. The reason for this will be revealed later on.**

**-I have decided to explore Arthur Weasely's personality more, given his role in the story. I've always seen him as insecure and slightly unsure of himself, given his situation in the books and especially in this particular fan fiction. If you have a different opinion on this, feel free to comment.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Shuuichi stared at him, a slight smile beginning on his oh so innocent face. Arthur glared at him, hating the cockiness he was exhibiting, not the boy himself. The teen tilted his head to the side slightly, motioning towards the side yard, "May I suggest we go to the backyard to discuss this? I wouldn't want someone innocent to overhear us."

As much as he hated to admit it, Arthur knew the teen was right. He followed Shuuichi around the side of the house, his eyes widening slightly at the amount of plant life that suddenly surrounded him. He felt like he had just stepped into a different world and somehow he didn't like it at all. Shuuichi came to a stop beside an iron set of garden benches. He sat himself down on one, motioning for Arthur to do so on the other. Feeling like he was walking into a trap, Arthur did so, his gaze never leaving that of his nephew. Shuuichi gave that unnerving smile of his, backing Arthur into a corner, "So, you need my help. Why, if I may ask? What is so important it drew my father's brother, who has remained silent and hidden for fifteen years, to this doorstep begging for help from, of all people, me?"

Arthur eyed him for a second before answering, "Things have changed."

Shuuichi cocked his head, "How so?"

Arthur glared at him, "I came here to ask for help, not to be questioned!"

"Isn't it natural for me to want to know what I'm getting myself into? Or is that just something in _demon_ nature?"

The wizard flinched at the attack, his eyes breaking away from his nephew's for the first time since they had met. He gazed at the ground, his heart suddenly feeling heavier than ever.

"That was uncalled for…" he muttered, still refusing to look at Shuuichi, "I suppose it's my duty," he glanced up for a moment, before looking down again, "to tell you."

Shuuichi shifted slightly, drawing Arthur's eyes up from his lap, "I suppose you should," he stated softly, "And I'll keep an open mind about it."

And so Arthur began. He started the story with his brother's death. As he spoke, Shuuichi watched him with a sort of detached attention. His eyes were almost unfocused. But Arthur knew he was listening, not by the way he was looking at him, but by his hands. At the mention of his father's murder, Shuuichi's hands tightened dramatically into two angry fists. And as the story continued and Harry Potter came into the story as the 'Boy Who Lived'; the fingers flexed from a clenched fist to a relaxed, limp position on the boy's thighs. Arthur was fascinated by this. Whatever was going through his nephew's mind was undoubtedly interesting. Arthur could only hope the thoughts favored him instead of Lord Voldemort.

He finished the tale with Dumbledore's death and even surprised himself by admitting his leadership skills were limited at best. The silence that fell after the final words left his mouth was crushing him within minutes. Shuuichi had been awfully quiet during the whole thing and Arthur was getting worried. What if the demon turned his back on his father and went to join Lord Voldemort? What if he had just condemned his family, his friends? What if he had just assured Voldemort's success?

"Arthur."

The man jumped and turned his panicked gaze on Shuuichi. It was coming, the thing he had feared all along. He had just sealed the fate of everyone he loved…

"Arthur, my name isn't Shuuichi."

This caught Arthur off guard. Why, of all the things he should be saying after what had been revealed to him, why was he saying something like this?

"It's Kurama."

Arthur stared at the teen before him, suddenly feeling more hope than he had been in a long time just because of this simple statement. Those unnerving emerald eyes locked on his…suddenly they weren't so unnerving anymore.

"Voldemort could have killed any man," Kurama's eyes burned. It was as if something inside of him had been set a flame by Arthur's story. And Arthur felt as though that flame had helped to relight his own.

"But that foolish, greedy human had to pick the only one…the only one with a demonic son. And now, thanks to his own stupidity, he will face the consequences," Kurama's face slipped into a small smile, "I'm with you, Arthur, just tell me what to do."

**Three words: Horrible Filler Chapter. Please don't hate me. But I promise the next one is coming soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**I feel rather accomplished that my reviews more than doubled. **

**Anyways, I decided, since this took so long, to tell you the story of this chapter.**

**My muse and I sat at the computer…I typed a little…then we stared at the screen…**

**This went on for weeks…**

…**and then more weeks…**

**You have my sincerest apologies.**

**A lot of effort was put into this…I hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to yell if you don't.**

The call came around three A. M. He hadn't been very willing to talk about his reason, he just mentioned it was a family matter, but even that had been in passing. He had asked for a simple favor: tell his mother he was taking a trip with Arthur, who ever that was. Yusuke hadn't been satisfied, but Kurama's voice had turned suddenly urgent and he had cut off the call a few seconds later after a quick, careless goodbye.

Luckily for the fox, Yusuke was a good friend, and despite the lack of answers to his reasonable questions, he had filled Shiori in on her son's departure. He had then, due his worry, not lack of trust as some may believe, gone straight to Koenma, demanding to know where Kurama was and what he was doing.

Koenma did a search more out of fear of Yusuke's temper than of worry for the fox. His scan showed that Kurama had somehow gotten to England in the fifteen minutes after the call to Yusuke, which said boy had determined was from Kurama's house phone.

It was then Koenma's scared demeanor turned immediately to worry. Without so much as acknowledging Yusuke's demand of, "What the hell is going on," Koenma had switched into panic mode, grabbing his communicating mirror and screaming something that sounded like, "BOTAN GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Obviously the worry in Koenma's voice got her into the office faster than she would on any other day. Koenma filled her in with a short, high-pitched, breathless…word.

"KuramagottoEnglandinfifteenminutes!"

But as Yusuke watched her reaction to the news, the look on her face told him she was obviously not getting it.

"Kurama got to England in fifteen minutes…and…? We all know he has his little connections. He probably got bored and called in a favor."

Koenma glared at her, "Botan…think about it! What's in England that makes this a problem?"

After a one minute pause, Botan still looked confused. Koenma slammed his head on his folder-covered desk.

"Voldemort!"

Botan's eyes widened considerably, "Oh dear…"

A tense silence followed this statement. Yusuke started to get irked. This was getting ridiculous. How was it that everyone except for him was in on whatever the hell was happening in England?

"What the hell is going on?" he blurted out quite suddenly, earning jumps from both deities. "I'm not kidding guys, I hate being out of the loop. What is going on in England that dragged Kurama away from his mom? And who is Voldemort?" Silence for both the deities caused a small explosion from the teen. "DAMMIT! I wasn't kidding! What the hell is going on?"

Koenma hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"It's…complicated."

"Yeah, it took a genius to figure that one out. If you don't tell me what's up, I'll go to England and find out myself."

Koenma heaved a sigh.

"Botan, get me the files of Shuuichi Minamino, Tom Riddle, and Harry Potter."

………………

Kurama stood beside his uncle, gazing calmly up at the house that had just materialized before his very eyes.

"Nice illusion. I'm guessing a spell?"

"It's got every known wizarding defense on it," Arthur explained, shooting a look at his nephew, who looked fairly impressed. "Listen, I filled everyone in about you and your…special talents before I left so don't be alarmed if they give you odd looks."

Kurama nodded, a slight smile tugging at his mouth, "Understandable. It's not every day you meet a demon."

Arthur snorted; "You're telling me…" he gazed up at the house, his mind turning over the events of the past nine hours. After he and Shuuichi had finished discussing the state the Order was in, the boy had taken it upon himself to tell Arthur the truth…the WHOLE truth. And Arthur had never met someone with such a messed up past. The mix of good and evil was probably the most shocking thing for him. To think that he believed the boy was working for Voldemort when he was really working very hard AGAINST any threat to the world. Though Kurama had admitted that he never paid Voldemort's threat much mind until that very day, he had saved the Earth from a number of troubling people and monsters. Arthur's trust and respect for his nephew had swelled during the story and he had decided to not only bring Kurama back to England, but into the very heart of the dying Order. He hoped that this demon was the remedy he was searching for.

Kurama was watching him, waiting respectfully for him to finish digesting the events of the day. Arthur turned a slight smile on him and together they approached the front door.

"Don't knock," Arthur advised when he saw Kurama's hand rise towards the wood, "You'd regret it."

Kurama didn't ask, he simply stood back and allowed Arthur to force the door open. The front hall was dark and quiet, as always. Arthur stepped inside, beckoning for Kurama to follow. The demon did so with out comment, taking in his surroundings with faint respect. Arthur touched his arm and gestured towards the kitchen door. He could hear the daily Order meeting happening inside.

Kurama glanced at the door before looking to Arthur for permission. The man nodded. He knew they were discussing him and he knew they weren't exactly being nice about it. Kurama's hand reached out and grasped the handle firmly just as Moody said, "He's not cut out for it. He's not his brother."

Kurama turned his gaze on Arthur questioningly. His hand released the knob and he stepped back, "You should go first," he murmured. The voices inside the room stopped. Arthur flinched. There was no going back now.

Kurama nodded at him, trying, obviously, to reassure him. He nodded back before grasping the knob.

There were surprisingly few Order members present. Only his wife, Charlie, Tonks, Lupin, and Moody had taken the liberty of coming together that night. Kurama, still in the hall and out of the small group's sight raised an eyebrow at Arthur, who countered with a slight glare.

Moody stood, causing both redheads to snap looks to him.

"Arthur…have you gotten the boy?"

It was surprising how much awkwardness could fit into one statement. Kurama stepped passed Arthur, intentionally pushing him back into the hall, and into Moody's view. He took in the eye and number of scars the man bore with faint interest.

Moody's good eye looked the fox up and down before he chose to speak.

"So…you're Arnie's son?"

Kurama smiled slightly, "It would seem so."

Moody continued to glare at him, his mad eye swiveling to meet Kurama's almost smug stare, "And I suppose you being here means you're working with us?"

Kurama's eyes closed and he shrugged in an almost off-handed way, "Unless I'm a spy, you be the judge."

Instantly, two wands were trained on the demon. Kurama's eyes opened to regard them calmly. Arthur, not trusting the two wand holders, stepped between his friends and his nephew, his arms spread out to either side. He could almost feel Kurama's surprise as he came to his defense, but ignored it, his eyes burning into the two men.

"Put your wands down," he ordered, using more authority in his voice to drive the statement than he had in a month of leading the Order.

Neither man moved. Arthur glowered at the pair, "He's on our side, put your wands down!"

Moody let out his breath and his wand arm fell slowly to his side. Arthur's eyes turned on the other man, who was looking more fearful than angry.

"Remus…"

But the man continued to point his wand at Kurama, his fear slowly turning to resolve. Arthur opened his mouth to speak again, but Kurama's hand on his shoulder cut him off. The fox stepped into the line of the wand, standing tall and proud, his face showing nothing but his own determination.

"My father was faithful to this…Order until the day of his death. So faithful it kept him away for weeks at a time. What makes you think…Remus," his tone changed from its sugary sweet beginning to a harder, colder abrasiveness he rarely, if ever, used with his allies and friends, "that I would be any different? He was my father, after all. He helped give me…life."

Lupin seemed to hesitate before he spoke, uncertainty flicking through his expression so quickly only Kurama could pick it up.

"You're a demon…you're…"

He seemed at a loss for the proper wording. Kurama folded his arms in an almost defensive stance before supplying the word for him.

"Evil?"

Lupin didn't reply. He face said all that needed to be said. Kurama closed his eyes, his head shaking in disgust.

"You poor misguided fool…I almost feel bad. The belief that demons are evil is nothing more than a stereotype humans threw out to explain why, when the worlds were one, they killed them. I believe the same stereotype applies to wizards and witches as well, does it not?" He raised an eyebrow, "Here I was thinking you'd be more accepting…given this…common bond."

Lupin flinched horribly, his wand arm lowering ever so slightly. Arthur put a hand on Kurama's arm, "This isn't necessary."

Kurama shrugged, turning his back on the disgruntled wizard behind him, "Only stating the obvious, Arthur."

The redhead nodded in understanding, turning a cold look on Lupin.

"Lower your wand, Remus."

Looking peeved, Lupin shoved the wand into his robes, turning away to hide his expression from both the men in the doorway. After a moment of awkward silence that none of the Order members nor their demon guest seemed eager to break, the job was done for them by a teenage girl coming into the kitchen after a small knock.

"Dad!"

She looked slightly surprised, but mostly happy when she pushed passed Kurama to embrace her father. Arthur hugged her, his eyes meeting Kurama's as the demon leaned back against the wall, his arms remaining folded. Ginny pulled back from Arthur grinning, only then noticing the quiet presence beside her. She turned a questioning eye on Kurama. The fox eyed her back coolly, taking in the fierce resemblance she held to both her father and his own.

"And you are?"

He almost laughed.

"I'm your cousin," he informed her, letting a smile slip passed his guard, "Kurama. And _you_ are?"

"I'm Ginny," she offered a hand. He shook it as she looked him over again.

"So…you're the big scary demon?"

Several heads slammed against the table behind her as Kurama's smile grew.

"That I am, Ginny."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Oh, just in case anyone was wondering, she was using an Extendable Ear…Ginny, I mean.**

**Stuck-in-a-tree: Why does Lupin not trust Kurama? Well, as I wrote I was thinking about the many takes on Lupin's werewolf-ness I've seen in crossovers and in just plain Harry Potter fics. Then I thought about what I written in my outline and I quote: 'Voldemort will be gathering an army that will not only be made up of magical beasts of the human world, but demonic as well.' Then I added on the side of the paper about a month later: 'NOTE: Centaurs and Werewolves will be ancestors of demonic creatures that seeped into the human world after the barrier is created.' So, Lupin has demon blood and I suppose he wouldn't be very willing to face it. Kurama, to him, is the very personification of everything that's wrong with him. He's just not strong enough to face it yet and is taking out his frustrations on…well…the problem, I guess. I hope that explained it for you. Yeah, it's kind of stupid, but oh well; it's not the end of the world, or (hopefully) the story. Thank you for the review!**

**Oh yeah, I remembered what I forgot to add at the beginning of the last chapter. Any preferences as to who my dear Harry gets to be paired with…or should he be one of those lonely hero types?**

**Chapter 5**

Arnie Weasely stood looking at his son and wife for as much time as he could spare. He couldn't deny that this may be the last time he saw them…his beautiful Shiori…his brilliant Shuuichi…who was he to put them in such danger anyway? Shiori stood up, pushing her kitchen table chair away from her as she started for him, her voice questioning when she spoke, "Arnie…what is it?"

He gazed at her, then at the son they had made together, recalling his brother's words.

"_That baby is a monster, Arnie!"_

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Arthur was wrong, no matter what was radiating off the boy. So he had unnatural power…did that make him a monster? Not in Arnie's mind. He looked back to his wife.

"Shiori…I just got word, I'm needed back in England…"

Shiori's face fell. Arnie had made many mysterious trips to his homeland after their marriage. They had been long, many lasting for weeks, even more than a month. And afterward her husband was always quiet and distant for some time, his eyes always searching the crowd for some unknown being…

"How long?" she asked softly, coming close enough to him to cup his cheek with one sad hand.

"Impossible to tell," he muttered, catching her hand with his own, "I'll come back as soon as I can…"

Shiori's eyes closed as a stray tear worked its slow way down her cheek. She nodded, biting her bottom lip, trying not to show her husband how much his 'trips' worried her. Arnie slipped passed his wife and approached his three-year-old son, who was still seated in his booster chair and pulling small amounts of pork into his mouth. He didn't turn when his father crouched beside him, contenting himself with simply chewing on an oversized piece of meat. Arnie watched this action for a moment before speaking.

"Shuuichi?"

"Hai," the boy grumbled through the last bits of tough meat. He swallowed largely, still not looking at the man beside him.

"Shuuichi, I have to go away for a while."

Green eyes turned to observe him, "To England?"

Arnie let out his breath, marveling on how observant the child was. He let a smile slip. Of course he was observant…he was a demon for crying out loud.

"Yes, Shuuichi, to England."

Shuuichi nodded, turning his flaming redhead back to his meal. He did not, however, continue to eat and Arnie could have sworn he was watching him with the reflection on the fork he still grasped in his tiny fist.

"Shuuichi, can you promise me something?"

The boy glanced at him before nodding, slowly and evenly, his eyes returning to the fork in his hand.

"Take care of your mum?"

Again, his son nodded, his eyes watching, calculating, in the fork. Arnie sighed, knowing it was all he was going to get. He leaned closer to his son, pecking him lightly on the cheek and giving his hair a slight ruffle. Shuuichi merely shot him another look, grasped his hand shortly, and returned to his meal with a vengeance. Arnie stood to regard his wife again, trying to burn the image of how she looked now, safe, innocent, away from the dangers he was about to face once again. He took a breath, keeping their eyes locked as he spoke.

"I love you."

……………………………

Kurama sat up, his eyes flashing around his nearly closet sized room, landing on the small clock on the corner bureau that informed him that his father had cut his sleep time off by a good three hours. He scowled, throwing off his blankets and placing his feet on the floor as he raised stiff hands to tired eyes. He rubbed them roughly for a moment before using one hand to drag his surprisingly sweat soaked hair off his forehead. He brought his hand back down before his eyes to regard it wonderingly. Had memories of his father really affected him that much?

His eyes flicked to the open window. The stars and crescent moon still shone brightly in the early morning sky, telling him once again how much sleep he had lost. A cool breeze ruffled his hair as he scowled. He needed some time out of this house, he decided, already moving to his feet. Four hours here had already left him cramped and irritable, even though he had spent most of it sleeping. He crossed the room in two strides and pulled himself up onto the window sill, his eyes sweeping over the yard. Seeing no one, he hopped down, landing in a graceful crouch when he hit the ground. He stood, observing the small backyard, with its few oak trees and shrubs.

A sound in the far right corner of the fenced in space drew his attention and he snapped around to regard the shadow shrouded spot coolly. A figure moved, coming out into the light, his round glasses reflecting the moon. Kurama knew who it was almost immediately, though they had not yet met since when he had arrived it had been late and most of the teenagers the headquarters housed were already asleep. He watched as Harry Potter noticed him and reacted with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. The teen approached, taking careful, even steps.

"Who's that?"

Kurama realized that he too was shrouded in a dark shadow from the house and stepped into the moon light, allowing the boy to see just enough of him to make a proper identification.

Harry's response to this was predictable. His gaze hardened slightly and his tone, worried before, turned colder.

"You're that demon."

Kurama nodded, his eyes locking onto Potter's. The boy glowered at him before breaking the eye contact to gaze at his left shoe with little interest.

"I suppose you're helping us, then?"

"I am." Kurama watched the teen when he moved towards the house to lean his back against it. "And you're Harry Potter."

"Mr. Weasely told you about me?"

"He did."

"How much?"

"Enough."

Harry's eyes flashed as his gaze snapped once again to Kurama's. The fox kept his expression neutral, waiting for the boy to form his own conclusion. He did in surprisingly little time.

"Right," he looked away again, this time to the telephone pole visible between the two houses behind their own. Kurama leaned against the house beside Harry before he spoke.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking."

Kurama was never one to be satisfied with one worded responses, especially this one. When he spoke again, his voice was more forceful.

"About what?"

Harry turned to look at him with something akin to surprise on his young features.

"What?"

The fox fought the urge to yell.

"What were you thinking about?"

Harry continued to stare at him, his mouth slightly open and his green eyes wide. Kurama stared right back, wondering why the boy was so shocked that he was taking an interest on what was on his mind.

"Why do you care?" the boy who lived finally responded, his eyes breaking away from Kurama's once again.

Said fox lifted an eyebrow, "Is it really so surprising?"

Harry opened his mouth and then paused, as though searching for the correct wording. Kurama waited, but patiently this time. The teen before him finally responded in an offhanded tone.

"You're…a demon…and well…I figured you'd…"

Obviously, he had failed in his search for words. But Kurama nodded in understanding; it was, after all, the third time that day he had heard it.

"Be evil? Yes, you're friend Lupin had the same idea…Arthur too, at first."

"I'm guessing you're not evil though," Harry continued, watching Kurama carefully from behind his glasses.

"Not by you're standards, no."

There was a pause. Harry looked away yet again, finding interest in the nearest dying shrub. Kurama glanced at the sky.

"You never answered my question."

Harry twitched at the statement, looking back at the fox, who remained still, gazing tiredly at the stars. Silence shrouded them for a moment, as Harry again looked for a way around responding.

He failed.

"Its…complicated."

"I'm sure it is…but in case you haven't noticed, we have most of the night."

Harry blinked, realizing the truth in this statement. Kurama turned an eye on him almost lazily.

"I'm sure it won't take that long, anyway."

The teen looked at his oh so interesting feet again.

"I was thinking about…Dumbledore."

Kurama was quiet. Harry shifted slightly, pushing himself against the wall.

"He…died…two months ago."

"I know."

Harry glanced up at him, almost shyly, before looking downwards again.

"Did Mr. Weasely tell you?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" Harry looked up at the sky again, to the stars, "What do you think happens?"

Kurama blinked, his eyes flicking to the boy beside him, "I'm not sure I understand what you mean." Of course, he _was_ sure, but the thought of such a young boy asking morbid questions such as this bothered him. Especially since it was this particular boy.

"After someone…dies," Harry elaborated, stealing another shy look at the demon beside him.

"I don't know," Kurama continued to stare at the boy, "I don't find much reason to think about such things…I'm not much older than yourself in human years."

Harry looked at him again, but this time his eyes held no hesitation.

"And in demon years?"

Kurama was quiet. Harry later thought it was because it was such a personal question. But he was wrong. In truth, Kurama wasn't sure he wanted to answer because he was so unsure of what Harry's reaction would be. He pushed away from the wall, putting his back to the teen beside him.

"I lost track some time ago," he muttered, almost feeling self disgust. Almost. Harry stared at the back of the redhead in surprise.

"But-…"

Kurama's voice turned cooler as he cut off any further questions with a simple statement.

"When you're a demon such things have little meaning," he turned to regard the boy, his previously harsh expression softening, "You should get some sleep, Potter, it's unhealthy to stay up to all hours of the night."

Harry flinched at being caught with his recent case of insomnia. Kurama left the yard the way he had entered, with a single, swift jump through his window. Harry slid to the ground, finally alone with his newest barrage of thoughts.

_I don't get him._

**Ewwie. I'm not so sure I liked the way they interacted. Please review.**


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